Persuasion (Episode)
|season=Season 9 |episode=14 (188 in total) |air_date=February 19, 2010 |previous_episode=Warrior |next_episode=Conspiracy }}"Persuasion" is the fourteenth episode in the ninth season of Smallville, and the one hundred-eighty-eighth episode overall. It aired on February 19, 2010. Summary It is Valentine's Day and while is out on a date with , he unknowingly becomes infected by , which has magical wish-fulfilling properties. Clark mentions to Lois that he wishes they had a more traditional relationship, so Lois quits the , moves in with and starts planning their wedding. Still unaware of his new power, Clark also casually tells he wishes she would spend more time watching out for him, so an infected Chloe takes his wish to heart and sets her sights on a new target – Lois. Clark also learns of his father's murderer, putting in danger when Clark gets a firsthand-view of his newfound power. Recap It is Valentine's Day night in Metropolis and every happy couple is out on a romantic dinner. Well, almost every couple, because Lois and Clark are out investigating the quick development progress made in the completion of the RAO . Lois stands on Clark's shoulders to look over the construction wall of R.A.O. Inc and tells Clark she thinks it's unusual that high, advanced technology is being moved at night rather than in daylight and she suspects that they must be hiding something. Clark says he's sure that someone is keeping an eye on the situation. Lois suddenly slips off Clark's shoulders and falls into Clark’s arms and he is delighted to catch her. As they leave the alleyway and walk down main street, Clark suggests they drop this story, which makes Lois a little suspicious about his motives, but Clark merely says they should be out on the town having dinner together . . . by candlelight. Lois goes on a rant about how Valentine's Day has become more about commercialism and less about romance, which is overheard by romantic couples having dinner, so Lois apologizes for her remarks. She also reminds Clark that history has proven that if she embraces V-day in any romantic way at all, it always ends in disaster. A girl dressed up like a fairy then approaches with Valentine goodies. She offers some to the couple. Clark starts to decline because of Lois’s earlier remarks. However, Lois goes straight for the chocolates, expressing that she hasn't had dinner, and at that moment the girl wishes them both a Happy Valentine's Day as she blows 'pixie dust' on them. to either of them, it is laced with gemstone kryptonite. For a moment, Clark seems to have a reaction to the dust, as his eyes glow blue for a second, before returning to normal. Lois walks away happily eating her chocolates and Clark follows her to the Daily Planet. Inside the bullpen, Lois is eager to follow up on her story, but Clark is much more interested in focusing on their relationship at least for tonight. Lois jokes that perhaps Clark would prefer a more traditional, old-fashioned relationship with her, with which he agrees, thereby unknowingly hypnotizing Lois into pursuing a traditional relationship with him, under the influence of the gemstone kryptonite which causes Lois's eyes to glow blue for a second before returning to normal. Then, the City Editor comes in and informs Lois that apparently the RAO, Inc ribbon-cutting on the tower will be in two days time. Clark turns to Lois to tell her he needs to check the building permits and explaining that he'll look into the story further if it's ok with her. Lois gives a shrug and a huge smile: “Anything for your career, sweetie.” For a split second, Clark is slightly confused by Lois's willingness to give up her story but he doesn't bother for an explanation as he leaves. The City Editor gets a rude reaction from Lois when he asks to see her completed assignment. Lois informs him that a traditional woman does not spend her time in the office when she can be at home taking care of her man's needs, and she tells him she quits. Clark visits Chloe at the Watchtower and requests the passports and ID cards she's prepared for the Kandorians to assimilate into society. Chloe still isn't thrilled about Clark's plan to try and help the Kandorians adjust to life on earth and suggests that he transport them to the before they become a threat to Earth. But Clark believes that if the Kandorians have the chance to experience how good life on Earth can be they won't try to conquer and rule. Chloe reminds him that one of the Kandorians is responsible for the death of Jor-El. Clark angrily tells her to focus on watching his back, while leaving "the rest of the planet" to him. Chloe's eyes temporarily glow blue and, as he starts to leave, with determination she tells him that she'll protect him "no matter what it takes". Clark heads to the R.A.O. tower construction site and finds Alia and Faora and gives them their passports and ID cards to become official citizens. They both admit how they had misjudged his intentions and wonder if there is any way they could repay him for his kindness. Clark asks them to tell him who killed Jor-El. He says he knows that Zod took him from Tess but he wonders if Zod was the last one to see his father alive. Faora knows Clark wants justice, but she warns that Zod has a lot of loyal followers and, if Clark goes after him, there would be a war. Clark returns to the Kent house to find Lois in the kitchen immersed in food preparation and dressed in traditional 1950s 'happy homemaker' attire. Clark is very confused and asks Lois what's going on. She tells him that she's moved into the house, although she will be staying in the guest room until they're engaged. "Engaged?" says a baffled Clark. "Uh-huh," says Lois with a huge smile. Later, Clark sits at the head of the table as Lois serves him the home-cooked dinner she prepared, but it is a complete disaster and even Shelby won't eat it when Clark sneakily passes it under the table. Lois enquires if Clark enjoyed her charcoal pot roast. Clark tells her it’s delicious and tries to get an explanation about the sudden alteration to her character. Lois pours him a beer and reminds him that he's the man and that he persuaded her into moving their current relationship as a couple to a more traditional one. "What if I miss the old Lois?" Clark asks. Lois tells him it's too late and that she quit her job at the Planet so she could commit herself wholeheartedly to pleasing him in any way she can. When Clark learns of this, he is shocked that Lois would give up her fast-rising career as a reporter, and realizes that Lois isn't acting like her true self and must be under some kind of influence. Clark makes an excuse to leave so he can investigate. Meanwhile, inside Luthor Mansion, Tess is in the bathroom taking a bath and sipping a glass of champagne. Unbeknownst to her, Zod is watching through the slightly open door, savoring the moment as Tess caresses her body. Then Zod walks in and shocked by his entrance she calls for her security team. Zod informs her that it's useless to call them. Tess tries to get up but Zod tells her to stay put because he likes her just where she is. Tess decides to change her tactics and attempts to seduce him into joining her in the tub. Chloe (under the influence of Clark's hypnotism caused by gemstone kryptonite) goes over to the farm, and is shocked to find Lois there. She tells Lois that she is a distraction to Clark and that she has to leave him and that she will never understand the real Clark. Clark retraces their earlier route in Metropolis to find out what has happened to her. He comes across the girl who was dressed as a fairy the previous night and finds out that the "fairy dust" comes from 'a quarry near Smallville'. Realizing it is probably meteor rock, he suspects it is the reason Lois is acting the way she is. Clark then gets a text from Lois saying: "911". Clark returns to his loft to see a heartbroken Lois sobbing in front of the mirror. Echoing Chloe's words to her, she says she's pathetic and Clark would be better off without her in his life. Clark desperately tries to calm her down and realizes that she's not acting like her normal self due to the influence of gemstone Kryptonite. Lois however continues with her emotional outpouring and reveals she could tell he hated the dinner she'd prepared for him earlier and the idea of moving in together is a joke. Lois informs him that Chloe was right to protect him from her. Clark insists that Chloe has a tendency to be overprotective sometimes. Lois further explains that she doesn't know the first thing about being a housewife, and Clark is delighted that Lois is finally opening up to him but realizes it's not of her own accord so tries again to reason with her calmly and insist that something else is going on. However, Lois says that it hurts her to be around him and she has to leave him and Smallville. Clark, not willing to let her go, promises they'll be together forever, and Lois now truly believes him and they share a tender kiss together and a long embrace. A now happy Lois reveals her plan to move out of the guest room. Clark suddenly realizes what she means but before he can address it, she’s off and running into the house excited. Clark is left alone in the loft totally flustered. Heading back to Watchtower, intending on confronting Chloe, Clark instead finds who's in a state of immense panic as Chloe has locked the main system mainframe preventing him from gaining access. Clark tells him to calm down. As he does so, Clark's eyes glow, and Emil immediately starts to act dismissively toward his previous crisis problem. Clark tries to get Emil to revert to his normal state, but with no luck as Emil ignores him and goes to get a beer. Clark explains to Emil that he's encountered a new form of kryptonite that has the ability to cause people around him he gains contact with to be very suggestible to anything he says, but he's unable to undo the effects afterwards. Emil suggests that Clark put this new ability to good use and Clark decides he can as he looks at Jor-El's ID tag. Meanwhile, back at the farm, Lois is on the phone in a bedroom looking into a mirror while talking to who grants her permission to wear her wedding dress, which Lois then admits to her she is already wearing, and smilingly addresses Martha as "Mom". Lois then dances through the Kent house, throwing paper, and bounces on the bed while talking to her sister Lucy on the phone and revealing her wedding announcement. Lois continues to celebrate by re-enacting wedding traditions as she then calls her father Gen. , pleading with him to make the necessary traveling arrangements to attend her wedding. Later that night in Metropolis, Clark, clad in his Blur attire, confronts Zod at the Solar Towers construction site, requesting to talk to him. Zod, uninterested, tells him that he's aware of his intentions to isolate him from the Kandorians. Clark tells Zod that Zod lost the right to lead them when he killed Jor-El. Zod responds by telling Clark that Jor-El was like a brother to him and despite their differences he could never take his life. Clark tosses Jor-El's dogtag at Zod and demands the truth from him by using his power of Persuasion on him. For a split second, Zod's eyes glow purple blue, but then return to their normal color and Zod truthfully tells him he didn't kill Jor-El—but he knows who did: Tess Mercer. Zod continues to tell Clark that the Kryptonian way says she must die for justice to be realized. Clark says he will not kill, and Zod tells him he himself tortured his father badly and still Jor-El would not betray his son. Upon hearing this, Clark becomes enraged and snatches Zod up in his hands. Clark admits to Zod that there are times he wants to seek revenge. Upon admitting his true hidden dark feelings, Clark persuades himself and is now infected with gemstone kryptonite as his eyes glow purple blue as he superspeeds away, leaving behind Zod looking very pleased with himself. Chloe breaks into Tess's office, accessing her computer, and discovers that Tess has hacked her computer systems at Watchtower. Tess comes into her office holding a gun in her hand and Chloe says she plans to use a super-computer virus to destroy the encrypted firewalls. Realizing she's serious, Tess warns that doing so will reveal Clark's secrets to the world. However, she admits that she's lost her faith in Zod and that Clark can command the Kandorians once they gain their powers from the solar tower, and she asks Chloe to work with her. Chloe says she'll think about it, but then hits Tess instead. As she grabs Tess's gun and reaches for the flash drive with the virus, Tess kicks the gun out of her hand. They struggle for a while and then Tess gets the gun. As she starts to pull the trigger on Chloe, Clark comes in at superspeed and takes Tess to a nearby rooftop parking lot. He throws her across the roof and tells her he's there to collect for the life of his father. Clark then proceeds to fire his heat-vision around them making a fiery circular wall of flames, but Tess insists she just wants to help Clark lead the Kandorians to save Earth by using the solar tower to restore their powers. But Clark tells her how the tower will steal his powers instead and Tess pleads with Clark that she didn't know that would happen. Clark tells Tess he'll save Earth but not with her in it and his eyes begin to blaze red with his heat vision when Chloe appears behind him holding in her hand which disposes of the persuasive effects of gemstone kryptonite for both her and Clark, returning them to normal. Alia has met with Zod and she confesses to him that it was she who killed Jor-El, as she felt he would have found a way to destroy them had he lived. She hands Zod a gun she was holding and says that justice must be served and then kneels in front of him. He seems undecided, but then he shoots her, in the Kryptonian tradition. The next morning inside the Kent kitchen, there is a Daily Planet 'Announcements' page on the counter featuring Lois and Clark's engagement. Clark is on the phone with his mother while Lois watches on uncomfortably. Clark informs his mother that the paper is going to be printing a retraction since there was a miscommunication. Lois is trying to take a bite out of a piece of pie, but the mortification is too much. When Clark is finished his phone call with Martha, he gives Lois a message from her: “My Mom says ‘When you’re ready, you can borrow it’." Lois tries to pretend she doesn't know to what Martha is referring and then Clark says her father also left a message. Lois, now actually embarrassed, prepares to start calling her family and friends and declares to Clark that she's never buying chocolates from a fairy again: "I don’t know what she put in that stuff but I promise you I wasn’t myself." Clark, having a little fun, says he enjoyed the outfit she was wearing . Lois looks up at him with an awe-like realization. “You really are an old-fashioned romantic, aren’t you?” Clark just smiles back right at her. Lois comes to the realization that it’s easier to complain about Valentine’s Day tradition than it is to give it a shot, and the kind of relationship she has with Clark is something more special. Lois's cellphone voicemail then rings, alerting her of twelve messages from Chloe apologizing. Lois goes on about moving in with Clark and says that things are moving too fast for her and she thinks it's best to just stick to their original plan. Clark agrees and says they need to be honest about everything. Lois asks him if he would trust her with it if he had a big secret, and notes that she confessed on national TV she knew the Blur. Clark reassures her that she did the right thing and he would trust her, but Lois wonders if her big mouth might one day ruin their relationship. Clark assures her it won't and she won't be able to get rid of him so easily. Later Clark in his Blur attire attends a solemn funeral for Alia as her brow is marked with her family crest and then her body is burned in a funeral pyre. The flames rise high and Alia vanishes. Clark confronts Zod, asking how Alia died and he tells Clark that he learned it was she who had killed Jor-El and, as Clark wasn't willing to kill, he had to slay his own soldier to get justice for him. Clark believes Alia didn't deserve to die and warns Zod that he's gone too far, just like when he tried to manipulate him into killing Tess for him. Zod said he thought that when Clark first found them it represented hope, but then he saw Clark's unwillingness to kill that he had inherited from his moral human upbringing and this prevents him from being a true Kryptonitan. As Clark begins to walk away, Zod warns that in a few days Clark will see what real justice is and then he will have to choose between his Kryptonian heritage or his humanity. Clark heads to the Watchtower and stares at a holographic blueprint image of the solar tower on the main computer screen with a look of turmoil on his face as Chloe then joins him. Clark wants to know, if Chloe was under orders to protect him, why she didn’t allow him to kill Tess. Chloe tells Clark that she couldn't allow it because he's a represented symbol of hope for the world that she will never allow to be compromised. Clark informs her that Zod killed Alia, who was Jor-El's murderer. With this news, Chloe points out that the future they had visited has already begun to change, but Clark looks at the hologram and says there's only one way to be sure. Clark heads to the and stands on the head of the Gargoyle. As the wind is flaring his coat, he stares intently at the towers and makes a fateful decision to ensure that the future he had witnessed - in which Zod & his army ruled humanity with tyranny - does not come to pass. Thus, he blasts his heat vision to its maximum level, towards the tower. Meanwhile, at the wall entrance of the solar tower construction site, Zod is giving an interview about the ribbon-cutting that is set to occur in the morning. Zod says it will be the dawn of an age of infinite power. Suddenly, both he and the reporters hear a massive explosion from up above as the tower explodes into numerous fires and begins to fall. Cast Starring * Clark Kent * Chloe Sullivan * Lois Lane * Tess Mercer * Zod Guest Starring * Dr. Emil Hamilton * Alia * Faora Clone Co-Starring * Buddy Brown Notes * Antagonist: Major Zod and Alia. * This is the second Valentine's Day-themed episode featured on the show, the first being 's Crimson. Both have Clark and Lois being infected with mind-altering kryptonite. * , , and are referred to in this episode. Clark and Lois both talk to Martha at different times, and Lucy is heard screaming on the phone. * This is one of the few episodes this season that does not feature any new DC comic book characters. * This marks the only appearance of in the series. * Martha's wedding dress that Lois borrows looks remarkably similar to the wedding dress she wears in the comics when she married Clark Kent/Superman in Superman: The Wedding Album. * This is the first time Tess has appeared nude on the show; now all the current series regulars have appeared nude on screen: ** Clark in , Lineage, Witness, Slumber, Covenant, Crusade, Gone, Hidden, Eternal, Idol, Pandora, Escape, Harvest ** Lois in Fade, Idol, Pandora, Harvest ** Chloe in Tomb, Freak, , Escape, Beacon ** Zod in , Escape ** Oliver in Injustice, Lazarus, Beacon * While Clark is making the fire circle around Tess, you can see the outline of the ring before it's complete. Continuity * Clark destroys the nearly completed that was seen in Lois's memories of the future in Pandora. Plans for its construction were first revealed in Crossfire. * This is the second time this season that Clark has another, temporary power; the first time it happened was back in Echo. * It is revealed that Alia was the one who killed Jor-El back in . This would explain her apology to Clark shortly before she died in Savor. * This is the third time that Alia has died; the first time was in Savor and the second time was in . * Clark was last exposed to a new kind of in the episode Blue. * The Book of Rao was last mentioned in Disciple and hidden by Jor-El's clone in . * Chloe mentions sending the Kryptonians to the , which was Clark's original solution to defeating back in Beast. However, the was destroyed in Injustice. * Chloe mentions Alia killing her in the corrupt future in Pandora. * Clark has been helping the Kandorians since his identity was revealed to them at the end of Pandora. * Zod ends his alliance with Tess that began in . * Lois mentions the time Clark suggested she move in with him at the Kent Farm, which happened in Instinct. Lois took advantage of the offer in Bloodline, but quickly moved out when Tess gave her a raise. * Chloe and Lois refer to the time Lois announced, on national television, that she knows The Blur's true identity, which occurred in Idol. Clark and Lois also talk about this. * Shelby is seen for the second time this season; his last appearance was in Metallo. * Stargirl suggested that Chloe make Watchtower a little bit homier in . Apparently Chloe took the advice to heart, since when Dr. Emil gets infected by the meteor dust on Clark's breath, Emil grabs a bottle of beer from a rather well stocked kitchenette and then flops down onto a couch. Spoilers * mentions Clark and Lois's engagement announcement being in the in Hostage. * Zod fulfills his death threat to Tess in Salvation. * In this episode Lois assumes that Clark had proposed to her when he said they'd be together "always and forever," unfortunately at the time that was not the case until in Icarus where Clark really does propose to Lois. Locations * Smallville ** Luthor Mansion ** Kent Farm *** Kent House *** Kent Barn *** Clark Kent's Loft * Metropolis ** *** Daily Planet Bullpen ** Solar Tower ** Watchtower ** Crow's Nest Quotes : : I need to figure out a way to reverse this. I think I breathed in some sort of new . : : (laughs) Dude, hasn't anyone ever told you not to inhale? : : How do I stop putting people into hypnotic trances? : : Well, maybe... you don't need to stop it. Maybe you just need to chill. Use it or lose it, Kent. Come on! There's got to be something out there that you're after. Huh? : : You've seen the future, Tess. You know what happens. : : Which is why you have to join the Kandorians and defeat Zod, so that he doesn't take your powers away. : : He doesn't take them, Tess, your tower does when it goes online. : : No, the satellites just create a shield that filters the radiation. : : And block the source of my power, giving them theirs. : : You have to believe me. I had no idea that your powers disappeared. : : Don't worry, Tess. I'll save your world. Just not with you in it. : : Tell me who killed my father. I know Zod took him from Tess. And was he the last one to see Jor-El alive? : : I know you want justice, but be careful. Zod has a lot of loyal followers, and if you go after him, there will be war. : : You take down my firewalls, and you'll be exposing Clark to much greater dangers than you can even imagine. I've done everything in my power to postpone this, but the day has finally come. The tower is ready. It's linked up to the satellites. The countdown has started, and in T-minus 18 hours, the atmosphere will turn red and the Kandorians will have their powers. But I've lost my faith in Zod. If Clark joins them, he can rule over all the Kandorians, even Zod. But you and I have to work together. : : It's quite the offer. Let me think about it. (hits Tess) I'm sorry, but embracing the red skies definitely violates my no-conspiring-with-baddies policy. Category:Episodes Category:Smallville Episodes Category:Smallville Season 9 Episodes